


Office Rumors & Conspiracy Theories

by spaztronaut



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, McKenna's POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 07:50:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11687253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaztronaut/pseuds/spaztronaut
Summary: McKenna Hall is back in Starling—Star—City two years after the incident that damaged both her leg and her career, but being a security guard is boring. Office rumors and conspiracy theories certainly liven things up.





	Office Rumors & Conspiracy Theories

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this way back in the beginning of season 4. It wasn’t quite finished so I just slapped on a quick ending, but I fell back in love with this idea when I reread it and really wanted to post it, so… enjoy!

McKenna pushed through the doors of Palmer Tech, a feeling of resignation settling in her gut. Her leg—the very reason she was here in the first place—ached a little as she put pressure on it, proving that this was where she belonged now.

No more police force. No more vice squad. No more stopping criminals or helping those in need.

Hell, McKenna called it a success when she could walk up the steps to her apartment building without the muscles in her leg knotting in pain.

It had been over two years since the accident. Hmph. Accident! Accident is what her sister called it. McKenna liked to think of it as when the psycho known as The Huntress shot her with a shotgun, destroying not only her right leg, but her career as well. Now she was reduced to life as a rent-a-cop.

Sitting behind desks, standing beside elevators, checking IDs. Being a cop may not have been glamorous, but at least it had been interesting. Most days the hardest part of her job was staying awake.

At first, after going through nearly seven agonizing months of rehab, she’d taken a job at the Coast City Police Department. She’d even enjoyed her desk job there, but that was when she still believed she had a chance to regain what she’d lost. Her dreams were dashed when she was told the only way out from behind the desk was to complete the physical ability test. Which she couldn’t. Not with her leg. The leg that was injured because she didn’t wait for backup like she was told.

 _Ugh. Maybe I do belong watching security monitors for the rest of my life_ , she thought as she shuffled through the lobby and up to the reception desk. It was early and there were a lot of employees rushing around, trying to get to their offices before their supervisors realized they were late, no doubt, which meant McKenna had to be careful to stay out of their way.

It normally wasn’t a huge deal for her. Walking she could handle. She could even run short distances without any pain. But Starling’s damp weather was really getting to her this morning.

Star City, she corrected herself with a small shake of her head.

It was crazy to think that her city had changed so much since she’d been away. Starling was literally a different city than when she’d left. Most of her friends on the police force had either moved on or had been killed in the siege two years ago and the man she’d been dating before the incident was now running for Mayor. A man who, she remembered quite vividly, used to party harder than almost anyone she knew in high school and seemed to be allergic to responsibility of any kind.

Well, that wasn’t really fair of her. It had been years since she’d seen him, and he had offered to come visit her in Coast City after the incident to try to maintain a relationship, but McKenna wasn’t stupid. She’d known it wouldn’t work before he’d ever even offered. She knew him, and she knew he would do the right thing in the moment, but it would become a chore after a while, and if there was one thing McKenna never wanted to be it was someone’s chore.

So she’d moved on from him and she’d moved on from the city and now, two years later, she was back and everything was different. _It’s just going to take some getting used to, that’s all_ , she assured herself, checking in at reception and getting a guest pass from security.

“Ms. Hall?” A tall, gawky man approached her with a smile. He was wearing the white and navy blue uniform that signaled he worked in security. “The Coast City office told us to expect you. You’re interview is at 8:15. If you wouldn’t mind waiting over in the lobby, I’ll take you up myself.”

“Sure thing,” McKenna said with a forced smile. It wasn’t this man’s fault she was stuck taking a dead end job in security when all she wanted was her life back.

After realizing she’d never be a real cop again, McKenna had quit the force and taken a job at Palmer Tech in Coast City. It was a decent job and she made better money than when she was a cop, but it wasn’t what she wanted to be doing. It wasn’t what she’d dreamed of since she was a kid. She wanted to help people and take down the bad guys. Solve mysteries. But the biggest mystery she’d solved as a security guard was who was stealing lunches out of the employee’s lounge mini fridge.

She’d had enough, so when she found out that the Starling—Star—City mayor’s office was considering putting together a task force in conjunction with the vigilantes running around the city she jumped at the chance, despite the fact that her career was ended by one of those so called vigilantes. Like she’d said, a lot had changed in the city since she’d left and apparently vigilantism was all the rage now, and, as long as these vigilantes weren’t killing, the police weren’t going after them.

McKenna wasn’t sure she was okay with the idea of masked men and women running around the city doing the police’s job, but she also knew that the closest she could get to field work would be if she got onto that task force. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a thing yet, more of a rumor, an idea that someone had had and that Oliver Queen, newly announced mayoral candidate, was backing. But he had to be elected mayor first. And she’d have to swallow her pride and go see if he’d consider her for a position. She hated to beg an ex-boyfriend for a favor, but she really needed this favor. Or else she’d be stuck in Palmer Tech for the rest of her life.

“Did you hear they’re changing the name?” A voice broke through her reverie, pulling her back to the crowded lobby. “They haven’t officially announced it yet, but rumor has it we’ll all be working for Queen Incorporated within the next month or so.”

A young red headed man, maybe twenty four or twenty five, was standing a few feet away from the seat McKenna had positioned herself in. He was speaking to a small brunette woman in a navy skirt and a black blazer.

The woman shrugged. “So? As long as they’re not letting anyone go, I couldn’t care less what name is on the side of the building.”

“But don’t you think it’s a little fishy?” the man said, trying to keep his voice low. “I mean, Mr. Palmer disappears under mysterious circumstances and suddenly this woman takes over and changes—”

“This woman?” the brunette huffed. “The Vice President of the company, you mean? Honestly, Ethan, you need to stop watching those psychological thriller movies. They’re warping your brain.”

The woman walked off, sipping a cup of coffee as she made her way to the elevators, but McKenna was intrigued. Not only because she was bored—God, was she bored—but because of the mention of the name Queen.

“Excuse me,” she said, getting the man’s attention. He looked over with a helpful smile, like she was about to ask him directions or for the time. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear. You were saying the company was changing its name?”

The man’s smile turned conspiratorial as he practically fell into the seat beside her. “You didn’t hear it from me,” he said in a low voice. “It hasn’t been officially announced yet. I’m the new Vice President’s executive assistant and, well, things like that tend to cross my desk first.”

McKenna nearly rolled her eyes. Of course an assistant would be spreading office gossip. Their jobs had to be nearly as boring as McKenna’s.

“But the thing that I find funny” he continued, “is that Ms. Smoak, the new CEO, is changing the name to Queen Inc. That’s what the name used to be before Palmer Technologies took it over. Well,” he said, with a shrug, “it used to be Queen Consolidated, but close enough, right?”

McKenna decided to play along. “So why would Ms. Smoak name her company after the Queens?” she asked.

Ethan brightened when he realized McKenna was looking for juicer gossip than just a name change. “Rumor has it that she’s dating Oliver Queen.”

Something in McKenna’s gut tightened at that, but it wasn’t jealousy. At least, she was pretty sure it wasn’t jealousy. She didn’t have time to think on it much because Ethan was still talking.

“But the fishy part is that last spring she was dating Ray Palmer. Right before the explosion.”

McKenna had, of course, heard about the explosion and Ray Palmer’s disappearance since she’d been working at Palmer Tech at the time. The CEO of your company doesn’t just go missing without gossip getting around. But this was the first she was hearing of a Ms. Smoak.

“So what’s fishy about that?” she asked.

Ethan smiled a little and leaned closer. “Mr. Palmer had signed the company over to her right before he disappeared. Allegedly. The contract wasn’t found until two months ago when Ms. Smoak came back to town.” He paused for obvious dramatic effect. “After quitting her job and leaving the city for nearly six months.”

McKenna was at a loss. “And?”

“And?” Ethan repeated, clearly annoyed she wasn’t following. “And you don’t find it odd that the woman was dating her boss, got him to sign his billion dollar company over to her, and then ditches town at the same time there’s an accident in his lab and no one has seen him since?”

Well, when he put it that way… “But the police aren’t looking into her?” she asked. “No body was ever found or suspicion of foul play.” McKenna had read up on the case. It was one of the many ways she entertained herself at work.

“I know, I know,” Ethan said, waving her off. “But these are billionaires we’re talking about. They have ways of making people disappear. Plus,” he added, smiling that conspiratorial smile again, “Ms. Smoak used to be Oliver Queen’s executive assistant before she became the VP of Palmer Tech—talk about a career leap—and now she’s dating him and putting his name back on the building? Seems suspicious to me.”

McKenna had initially started this conversation because she’d been curious about Oliver getting his family’s company back, but now she had to admit, Ethan had her curious. An assistant didn’t just get promoted to VP overnight, unless she was sleeping with the boss, which this Ms. Smoak supposedly was. And the fact that the boss had signed his company over to her and then disappeared was highly suspicious. It did reek of corporate thriller movie material. Billionaire loses everything and gets his former assistant to sleep her way to the top so that they can take his family’s company back and kill the man that took it all from him.

McKenna nearly laughed out loud at her own thoughts. This was Oliver she was talking about. Oliver Queen. The man couldn’t hurt a fly. And he didn’t have the smarts or the patience to plot something as sinister as what she had imagined.

 _Maybe I should write suspense novels while I check IDs for the rest of my life_. At least it would keep her mind occupied.

But, then, was it really that crazy a thought? Oliver being involved might be out there, but she’d never heard of this Ms. Smoak before. _What’s to say she isn’t a crazy, conniving psycho looking for money and the power that comes with the Queen family name? She’d certainly be Oliver’s type, considering the girl he dated before me ended up shooting me in the leg with a shotgun._

“Ms. Hall?”

McKenna’s head snapped up when she heard her name called. The gawky security guard who’d offered to take her up to her interview was standing in front of her expectantly.

“I can take you up now,” he said, throwing her another smile. “I’m Gavin Riley, Assistant Director of Security. I’ll be conducting your interview.”

McKenna nodded, suddenly glad he hadn’t overheard her conversation with Ethan. What a way to start a job interview, gossiping about how the boss might have murdered her former employer-slash-boyfriend.

She followed Gavin to the elevators and stepped inside as soon as the doors slid open.

“This should be relatively easy, considering your job at the Coast City office. Your supervisor sent over a glowing recommendation and said he was sorry to see you go. What has you moving to Star City, Ms. Hall? If you don’t mind my asking.”

McKenna had just started in on her speech about how she’d grown up in Starling and thought it was time to move back, when a voice called out across the lobby.

“Hold that elevator! Please!”

Gavin’s hand shot out, stopping the doors from sliding shut at the very last second, and McKenna saw a tiny blonde woman running across the lobby floor, coffee in hand and a purse thrown over her shoulder. She was dressed in a bright purple peacoat with really great red heels on. Heels that, obviously, weren’t making it easy to run across the tiled lobby floor. By the time she made it to the elevator she looked spent.

“Thank you! Thank you,” she sighed as she leaned against the back wall of the elevator. “I’m already late for a meeting and it’s not even 8:30 in the morning.”

Gavin smiled kindly at the young woman. “That’s the price of being the boss, I guess.”

“Ugh. Don’t I know it.” The woman smiled back at Gavin and then turned towards McKenna, beside him. Something like recognition passed through her blue eyes and her head jerked to the side. “McKenna!”

McKenna was taken aback a moment before she responded. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

The blonde flushed slightly, closing her eyes and scrunching her face up. She shook her head and waved the arm not holding the coffee as she spoke. “No! I mean, we’ve never met, but I know you. Or, I know of you, since we’ve, you know, never met. But I’ve heard all about you. Not all about you, but some things. Good things, of course. Sorry.” She wrapped up her speech with an apologetic grimace and smiled sweetly. “I’ve been better with the rambling recently, but it’s early and I’ve only had, like, two sips of my coffee. I’m Felicity,” she said, holding out her hand for McKenna to take. “Smoak. I’m a friend of Oliver’s.”

To say McKenna was surprised to hear that this was the Ms. Smoak Ethan had been gossiping about would have been an understatement. Her eyebrows shot up as she took in the woman before her. Her lipstick matched the color of her red heels and her blonde hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail, but she didn’t look like the owner of a multi-billion dollar company. Her glasses sat slightly askew on her face, her nails were painted an electric blue and she had an industrial bar through her right ear. And she rambled. There was nothing that shouted CEO about this girl and even less that shouted gold-digging murderer.

“McKenna Hall,” she said, taking the girl’s hand.

“I know,” Felicity smiled and then looked a little embarrassed. “I mean, obviously I know who you are, I shouted your name as soon as I saw you. Oliver and I were friends when you two were dating, so I kind of feel like I know you, even though I don’t,” she explained. “How are you? Are you back in Starling—I mean, Star City? It’s going to take me forever to get used to that.”

“Um, yeah,” McKenna answered, feeling that same twinge she’d felt before when she heard Oliver was dating this woman. Not jealousy, but like she was intruding someplace she didn’t belong, despite the fact that Felicity Smoak actually seemed incredibly welcoming. “I just moved back.”

Felicity smiled and then seemed to notice Gavin standing next to them. “Oh! Are you interviewing for a job?”

“Yes, ma'am,” McKenna replied.

“Oh,” Felicity waved her off. “Please, call me Felicity. Seriously,” she said with a small smile. “You and I have both seen the same man naked. It would be totally uncomfortable to have you call me ma'am while knowing that.” Then she slammed her eyes shut. “Not that it’s not totally uncomfortable that I said that. That’s, like, practically sexual harassment.”

“I don’t think that counts as sexual harassment, but don’t worry about it,” McKenna said, feeling sorry for the girl. “How is Oliver? You two are together now?”

“Yes!” Felicity smiled, her whole face lighting up at the mention of Oliver. “He’s doing good. We actually just got back to Starling ourselves. We spent the summer traveling.”

The grin on her face was contagious and McKenna felt her lips lift into a smile. “That sounds exciting. I guess Oliver moved passed that brooding stage he was going through when we were dating.”

“Not at all!” Felicity laughed. “He still broods, I don’t think he can help it. It’s like an unconscious reaction. But he’s happy. Happier than he’s been in awhile, and that’s all I care about.”

“Getting the company back must have made him happy.” McKenna wanted to take the words back as soon as she said them. It wasn’t that they were accusing or rude in any way, but she knew why she’d said them. She’d said them because her stupid cop mind had latched onto the idea that this girl was involved in something suspicious and, even though after meeting her it seemed unlikely, it still wanted to investigate. “I mean, I heard some gossip… about a possible name change in the future.”

Felicity just smiled brightly, excitement exuding from her expression. “Oliver doesn’t know yet, so I didn’t want it to get out, but of course a secret like that wouldn’t stand up to the gossip in this place. I wanted it to be a surprise, changing the name back to Queen. I know he’ll fight me on it, but I don’t want his family to completely lose their legacy. This is the Queen family’s company, even if they don’t, technically, own it at the moment. I’d give it back to them if I could, but Oliver wouldn’t take it, neither will Thea.”

“You’d give them a multi-billion dollar company just because they used to own it?” Gavin asked.

McKenna and Felicity both startled at his question, looking over at him. He flushed, looking a little startled by his question himself.

“They’re family,” Felicity smiled. “Besides, being the boss has its price, like you said.” She looked down at her shoes and shook her head, smile still firmly on her face. “I could be at home with Oliver right now.” She looked up at McKenna and sighed. “Who doesn’t have to be anywhere until after noon today because he was smart enough to opt out of taking the company back.” Felicity rolled her eyes at herself. “I must sound whiny. I actually really appreciate the gift I’ve been given with this company. And when we find Ray I’m going to hug him to pieces, but then, after, I will be having a word with him about how he tricked me into accepting that gift.”

“You think he’s alive?” McKenna couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“I know he is,” Felicity said with absolute certainty, as the elevator doors slid open and Gavin began to step out. “He has to be.”

“I hope you’re right,” McKenna said, following Gavin out into the hallway, but holding the elevator door open to speak to Felicity. “I don’t want to keep you from your meeting, and I have an interview so…”

“Right,” Felicity said with a smile. “You’re interviewing for a position in security, I take it? Long way from being a cop.”

McKenna grimaced. “Being a cop isn’t really possible for me anymore, with the leg injury.”

It wasn’t quite pity McKenna saw in Felicity’s eyes, but it was close enough to make her uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry, McKenna,” she said, and she sounded genuinely sorry. “I wish that hadn’t happened to you. Oliver does too.”

McKenna shrugged, hoping not to make it a big deal. “Things like that happen. I have to move on. And I need a job. This one’s as good as any.”

She closed her eyes tightly when she realized what she’d just said in front of the CEO and the man who would be conducting her interview, but Felicity only nodded sympathetically.

“I was forced into this job, too,” she said, “but at least I genuinely enjoy most aspects of it. I couldn’t imagine not being able to do what I loved. I don’t think I could settle…” She tilted her head to the side suddenly, a look of determination taking over her face. “And you shouldn’t either.”

McKenna could only stare as the blonde smiled to herself.

“I have the perfect job for you, McKenna,” she said, pulling out her phone and tapping the screen. “Much better than some security position.” She jerked her head up. “No offense, Gavin. Security is a great field to be in and, believe me, I appreciate everything you guys do, but this isn’t the job for McKenna.”

Felicity gestured for McKenna to step back into the elevator, before saying a quick goodbye to a totally confused looking Gavin.

“It’s not?” McKenna asked, also confused, but, as she stepped into the elevator, the twinge in her gut loosened for the first time since she’d walked into the building. Hell, for the first time since she found out she’d never be a cop again!

“No, it’s definitely not.” Felicity’s phone beeped and she grinned. She tapped something out and it beeped again a moment later, before she looked back up at McKenna. “You’re going to work for Oliver. Or, with Oliver. Sort of. He’s got this project…”

“The task force? With the vigilantes.”

Felicity tilted her head to the side questioningly.

“You hear all sorts of things in security,” McKenna explained with a shrug. She wasn’t sure she should admit that the task force was the whole reason she was moving back to Starling, or that she’d planned on quitting Palmer Tech if she was able to talk Oliver into hiring her. It seemed irrelevant now that Felicity had done it for her.

“Technically,” Felicity said, scrunching her nose up as she spoke, “there isn’t a task force for you to join, yet, so you’d be working on his security team with our friend John Diggle.”

“I remember Mr. Diggle,” McKenna said, pulling up a fuzzy picture of a tall black man in her mind. He’d been Oliver’s bodyguard back when she’d dated him, and apparently he still was.

Felicity smiled. “I know it’s still security, but it’s only until Oliver is elected and able to get the task force approved.”

“You really think he’ll win?” she asked, voicing her greatest concern.

“I’ve never seen Oliver fail once he sets his mind to something.”

As soon as the elevator doors slid open onto the executive floor, a flustered looking man in a suit came rushing out of a glass office, causing both McKenna and Felicity to look up. “Ms. Smoak, your first meeting is already here and he doesn’t seem very happy.”

Felicity sighed, taking a long swig of her coffee before handing the cup to the man. “Thanks, Jerry,” she said, before turning back to McKenna. “You should head over to Oliver’s campaign office this afternoon. They’ll get you all set up.”

“Thank you, Felicity,” McKenna said.

“It’s no problem,” she said with a smile. “I’ve got to go before Mr. Dennis has a conniption, but I’ll see you later!”

McKenna pushed the button for the lobby as she watched Felicity disappear into the glass office. She wanted to laugh at herself for ever having considered that the woman might be some murdering gold digger. It was ludicrous to even think about now that she’d met her. In fact, Felicity Smoak seemed to be exactly the opposite of what she’d assumed when talking to Ethan in the lobby.

McKenna wasn’t the type to enjoy being wrong about things, but she was genuinely glad she’d been wrong about Felicity. Not only did she just land McKenna her dream job in a matter of seconds—and without having to pathetically beg her ex for a shot—but she was glad that Oliver had found someone so warm and… alive. Back when they’d dated Oliver had been more withdrawn then she’d ever seen him. Side effects of being stranded on a desert island, she supposed. He’d tried to play the role of attentive boyfriend, but she’d been able to tell he wasn’t fully there. While she wasn’t sure how much Oliver had changed in the past three years, she was certain that Felicity Smoak was just the person he needed to help him readjust to the land of the living.

She could only hope that things went well with this security job and that, come May, Oliver would win the election, giving McKenna the opportunity to, once again, protect the city from criminals hell bent on seeing it in ruin. But, if not, well, at least she now had the plot for a really great crime novel.


End file.
